In Conversation With Garth Greenwell, Audible and Publishers Reach Settlement, and More
Steve Rubin to leave Henry Holt; Svetlana Alexievich to launch press dedicated to women writers; a new fiction program begins at the Atlantic; and other stories.
Genre: Not Genre-Specific
One Book Can Change a City
One Book One New Orleans is a campaign for literacy and community where New Orleans residents share the experience of reading the same book at the same time. The city has many great writers but its adult illiteracy rates are troubling. I had an opportunity to speak with One Book One New Orleans’s executive director Megan Holt and ask a few questions about the organization’s mission and how reading books together can build community. Megan and I have worked together at the Words & Music Festival for the last two years but most importantly, we are friends that share a love for motherhood and literacy.
Can you tell us a little bit about the mission of One Book One New Orleans?
One Book One New Orleans selects one book each year for New Orleans residents to read. We make an extra effort to ensure that our selected book is accessible to all adults. Through a network of community partners, we get the book, as well as a curriculum for the book, into adult education classes, adult ESL classes, HiSET classes, educational programs in juvenile justice centers, and prisons. We also arrange for the book to be recorded and broadcast for the blind community. Finally, we host a series of free, family-friendly events inspired by the book.
Why is it so important to get the whole city of New Orleans reading?
Often it feels that New Orleans is a city divided—by education level, by socioeconomic class, by neighborhood, by race. Bringing people from different walks of life together through a shared reading experience can be the first step to realizing that we have more in common with one another than we thought.
How can reading as a city transform New Orleans?
Increased adult literacy is linked to lower poverty rates, lower crime rates, lower domestic violence rates, better chances of securing a job that pays a living wage, better health care outcomes, and increased participation in the democratic process. These effects then get passed on to the next generation. While it would be overly simplistic to say that reading together as a city is a magic cure-all for some of the struggles our city faces, coming together certainly can serve as a catalyst for change.
What are some of the books the city has read together in the past?
Our first book in 2004 was A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. The last few years we’ve included titles such as Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans by Louis Armstrong, Unfathomable City: A New Orleans Atlas by Rebecca Solnit and Rebecca Snedeker, and Counting Descent by Clint Smith.
What’s the book for 2020?
New Orleans Griot: The Tom Dent Reader edited by Kalamu ya Salaam.
T. S. Eliot Prizewinner, a New National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and More
Joy Harjo talks building a future; Allison Hill prepares to lead the American Booksellers Association; Literary Hub previews 282 books coming out in 2020; and other stories.
National Book Critics Circle Awards Finalists, the Most Popular Library Books in New York, and More
Noname talks community engagement via books; Emma Copley Eisenberg on the importance of rigor; Electric Literature recommends collections by Latinx poets; and other stories.
Finding Detroit Events
Finding literary events in Detroit can sometimes be tough. It seems like every other month I come across someone who says, “I don’t know if there are any open mics or readings I can go to.” Social media, alongside word of mouth, is the primary way Detroit offers up information about literary events. I wanted to share a couple of the digital spaces I use as references to help people track events.
When I want to know what evening events are taking place, I always visit In the Loop Poetic Haven. Although this Facebook group began by highlighting poetry events, I have found a variety of hip-hop and comedy events here as well. The group has developed since 2011 and now has over two thousand members. In addition to daily posts, well-known local poet Caesar Torreano adds weekly posts featuring recurring open mics.
Many Detroit poets, myself included, follow the Detroit Poetry Society. This Facebook group is made up of multi-genre artists who hold open mics, offer workshops, and do hands-on work in Detroit neighborhoods. Their Instagram feed also stays up to date with information about upcoming events.
I have also recently discovered Writing Workshops Detroit, an independent writing school that offers a variety of writing classes and workshops in Detroit and online, and individual consultations. You can keep up with them on Twitter.
Finally, the Poets & Writers Literary Events Calendar is a great way to see what events are in your area. You can also help out the community by posting events you know about for free.
Justin Rogers is the literary outreach coordinator for Poets & Writers in Detroit. Contact him at Detroit@pw.org or on Twitter, @Detroitpworg.A Year With Ocean Vuong, Resignations at the Romance Writers of America, and More
Cameron Dezen Hammon discusses her evolving pursuit of faith; Jia Tolentino remembers Elizabeth Wurtzel; Samuel R. Delany talks Facebook writing; and other stories.
The Story Prize Finalists, the New Garth Greenwell, and More
Myla Goldberg discusses her ever-evolving creative life; Jamie Beth Cohen on writing adolescence; Anna Wiener talks all things Silicon Valley; and other stories.
Literary Twitter Raises Funds for Australia, Writers Recall Their First “Big Yes,” and More
Writer Elizabeth Wurtzel has died; David Shariatmadari considers the limits of language stigma; Caroline Zancan shares a campus novel reading list; and other stories.
Tubby & Coo’s: A Neighborhood Bookstore
Just before the holidays, I highlighted a few local bookstores in New Orleans worth checking out for gifts. Tubby & Coo’s is an indie bookstore doing great work in Mid-City and as luck would have it, our Poets & Writers table was set up next to their onsite bookstore during the recent Words & Music Festival. The shop specializes in genre fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels, and children’s books. Tubby & Coo’s owner Candice Huber named the shop after her grandparents who lived in Mid-City and opening a bookstore has been a lifelong dream. Below is a short chat I had with Huber about her bookstore.
What lessons have you learned as a bookstore owner over the last five years?
The main thing I’ve learned is my customer base and what they look for. It’s always a bit of trial and error when you first start, but over the years you listen to customers and learn what they want, and that is immensely helpful. I’ve also learned a lot about the book and publishing industries in general, and about my own personal limitations and skills. Owning my own business has really pushed me, but it’s also been so rewarding.
How does the Mid-City neighborhood play into how Tubby & Coo’s functions?
I love that we’re close to City Park and right on the streetcar line. Also, Mid-City is very community oriented. I love that we know and interact with our neighbors and other Mid-City businesses regularly and that everyone helps each other out and supports each other. I couldn’t ask for a better neighborhood!
The shop’s website mentions that Tubby & Coo’s is also a community center. What else makes your bookstore unique?
We’re a niche store that appeals directly to nerd and queer folk. We carry mostly science fiction and fantasy, but we also have a great selection of queer books, children’s books, and board games. I think we’ve done a good job of creating a safe space and environment and a wonderful community space where anyone can be themselves.
Are there any upcoming bookstore events we should look out for in 2020?
We’re currently in the process of planning for 2020. We’ll definitely continue our book clubs and board game night, which are always hits. And we’re already planning our super popular Harry Potter Birthday Party. Our sibling publishing company, TALES Publishing, will also be picking up in 2020 to publish a few more books. We’ll have other fun events as well, so stay tuned to our Twitter feed, @tubbyandcoos!
Literary Community Outside the Box: Part One
Happy New Year! I wanted to kick off 2020 by focusing on what the literary community looks like outside of author readings and book events. This includes groups like Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say, blogs and podcasts such as Dear Reader and Bootleg Like Jazz, ekphrastic experiences like the workshop and reading series Words & Art, and book lover groups like the Afrofuturism Book Club.
Today I want to spotlight the work of Nuestra Palabra: Latino Writers Having Their Say. This group has been bringing Latino writers to the Houston area for more than twenty years, beginning with a monthly reading series in the late 1990s and organizing the Latino Book and Family Festival in the early 2000s to a literary radio program that’s been running for more than fifteen years called the Nuestra Palabra Radio Show.
The show goes on the air every Tuesday from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM CST on Houston’s local Pacifica station KPFT 90.1FM and is livestreamed at KPFT.org. It is an hour-long show that focuses on literary works, as well as local community events and political happenings in the Houston area. Nuestra Palabra founder and director Tony Diaz interviews authors of all kinds—including poets, musicians, visual artists, historians, and chefs. The show is a brilliant opportunity to check out what is happening regionally, nationally, and internationally across the Latino landscape. You can listen to their archive of shows on the Nuestra Palabra website.
Tony Diaz on the Nuestra Palabra Radio Show. Lupe Mendez is the literary outreach coordinator for Poets & Writers in Houston. Contact him at Houston@pw.org or on Twitter, @houstonpworg.
Pages
